


Hug Empire

by SapphoIsBurning



Series: The Baysuka Chronicles [3]
Category: NXT, Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Backstage, F/F, Femslash February, Flirting, M/M, This is in that ambiguously outside of kayfabe place where some of my fics live, WWE Royal Rumble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9711350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphoIsBurning/pseuds/SapphoIsBurning
Summary: Asuka comforts Bayley backstage after her loss at the Royal Rumble. Two people are enough for an empire when one is the empress of tomorrow, and the imperial court is receiving visitors.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes you just want all your rare pairs in one room to talk about wrestling, you know?

The Royal Rumble was still going strong as Asuka prowled into the room full of industrial couches and forgotten stacks of folding chairs where Bayley watched the match on a monitor. Idly swirling a carrot stick in a thin pool of ranch dressing, she looked up. A smile, only mildly defeated, crept across Bayley’s face.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hi,” Asuka said, smiling with a mouth full of perfect, sharp teeth. “Good wrestling.”

Bayley sighed. “Pretty good. Not good enough.”

Asuka sat down on the couch, tucking her legs under her. She was wearing skinny jeans and red high heels, a familiar purple shirt underneath her blazer. “I can see you learn,” she said.

“Oh?” Bayley put her plate down on the floor. “What did I learn?”

“Bayley strong style,” Asuka purred.

Bayley smiled a little at that. “I do okay. I haven’t watched the tape yet...I’ve learned a lot since NXT, though, I know I have.”

“Yes. I learn too,” Asuka said. “I know a new word. You...potato Charlotte.”

“No!” Bayley protested, failing to stifle a guffaw.

“You pop Charlotte in her mouth. Strong style Bayley elbow. Potato.”

“OKAY MAYBE A LITTLE,” Bayley said, hiding her face in her hands.

“Stiff elbow, is good. Stiff kick is better. Bayley, we train more. You kick Charlotte in the head, make her...sad. Sad?” Asuka made a face, looking for a better word.

“Sad?” Bayley frowned.

“Not sad...ugh. That Charlotte face. ‘Oh, I do not believe I lose my title, I go home and cry so hard,’ like with Sasha.”

“It’s hard to get under her guard,” Bayley said. “Her legs are so fucking long.”

“Ah, go for her...kneecaps? Or choke her.”

Bayley’s face fell a little bit.

“Sorry! We practice, you choke me! Choke me many times, I take it.”

“Asuka, I’m not sure I’m into that...”

Asuka elbowed her playfully, which for Asuka still involved a pretty significant amount of force. “Noooo,” she said. “Um. Yes. But also no.”

Bayley rolled her eyes. “You are a piece of work.”

“Stiff piece of work,” Asuka said.

“Okay, I’ll tell you, nobody kicks like you here, that’s for sure.”

“There is nobody like Asuka,” she said, stretching her arms out, sneaking one around Bayley in the least sneaky way possible. They sank into each other sitting close together now. Bayley put her head on Asuka’s shoulder.

“There’s only one Asuka and I like her so much I forgave her for taking my title,” Bayley said. “She deserves it.”

Asuka closed her eyes. “Bayley puroresu, “ she said dreamily. “Come home with Asuka, we fight everyone. Tag team. Kick every man in head. We kick them all.”

“Asuka, don’t say that out loud!” Bayley nudged her with a finger to the stomach. The lights backstage flickered briefly.

“What, leave WWE?” Asuka asked. “Pff, long way away. Future. But still.”

“How long do you think you’re going to wrestle for?”

“You think Asuka is  _ old _ ?” Asuka teased, drawing the word out. “Same age as Kofi.”

“Kofi acts like an old man. ‘I’m too old for this,’“ Bayley wheezed, imitating his backstage complaints.

“Chris Jericho is old man. Chris Jericho is ooooooooold, man!” She gestured, miming his ring patter. “Old man wtih clipboard.”

“It would be nice to tag with you,” Bayley said. They looked up at the monitor as all three members of the New Day got eliminated at once, followed rapidly by Sheamus and Cesaro.

“What is Sami doing back there?” Bayley asked.

“Dean,” Asuka said simply. Bayley giggled.

The match went on and their conversation died down. Brock Lesnar entered and handed out his usual limited menu of offerings, eliminating a few. The Undertaker entered and soon many more friends were eliminated.

They heard noise behind them and saw Dean and Sami, sweaty and focused on each other.

Sami strode in, gesturing with his hands and nearly spilling his Pepsi. Dean followed him but hung back, leaning against the door frame.

“Hey, Asuka! I didn’t know you were hanging around” Sami said, sitting down on the arm of the couch they were on. “Hey, Bayley. Great match earlier. You’ll definitely get her next time.”

“Bayley gave Charlotte the potato,” Asuka said smugly. “Next time, Charlotte give Bayley the title.”

“That’s the spirit,” Sami said. “Dean, have you ever met Asuka? Come here, what are you doing. Don’t be weird. Dean.”

Dean shrugged and gave Sami a look, but he walked the rest of the way into the lounge. Most of the roster were over in the catering lounge—this one was off on the other side of the arena, an unused dressing room turned into a viewing area.

“Hey,” Dean said.

“We can move over,” Bayley offered. She and Asuka scooted to the end of the couch, still closely entangled, and Dean plopped down on the other end. Sami sank into the middle and immediately kicked his feet up into Dean’s lap.

“Head down, very cozy now,” Asuka said. Sami laughed and put his head in her lap. Bayley scritched the top of his head, red curls still damp with sweat. She wiped her hand on the arm of the couch.

“Oh shit, is it down to them?” Dean asked, looking up at the monitor they had all been only halfway watching now. “Come on, Ro, make ‘em weep. Rivers of salt, just...” Randy Orton eliminated Roman Reigns, and the crowd roared. They could hear it from all directions. “Oh. Okay. Or that, I guess.”

“Chalk up another Rumble,” Sami said like this wasn’t only his second. He pointed to an imaginary Wrestlemania sign. “We know what’s next.”

“Dean, I come for *your* title next,” Asuka teased. “Intercontinental. Japan—other continent.” She leaned forward and gave him a suggestive expression.

Dean barked a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, I guess it is. You’re gonna have to get in line, babe.”

“Behind me,” Sami said.

“Nope, Asuka and I are going to be a tag team,” Bayley declared.

“What would you be called?” Sami asked. “Ska Madness is taken.”

“Damn straight,” Dean said.

“Empress and...whatever Bayley is,” Sami said. “Empress and Hug.”

“Hug Empire,” Bayley said. “Ooh, that’s good!”

“You hold them in place with a hug while Asuka runs up and spinning back-kicks them in the head, I can just see it.” Sami wiggled excitedly, jostling the laps of Dean and Asuka.

“If only there were a title we could challenge for,” Bayley sighed.

“You should just make one,” Dean piped up.

“Eh?”

“Like Pat Patterson just came back from a trip declaring himself the Intercontinental Champion even though it was a bunch of bullshit. Like, titles are all bullshit, you know? It’s a McMuffin.”

“A what?” Bayley asked. Asuka looked back and forth between Dean and Sami’s faces.

“You know, the thing people fight over just so they have something to fight over? For a story?”

“A MacGuffin?” Sami suggested.

“Yeah, that. Make your own McMuffin. If you declare yourselves the women’s world tag team champions of the united federation of planets or whatever, who can stop you? The only way they can stop you is if they beat you.  And they’re not gonna beat you.”

“Thanks, Dean,” Bayley said. “Do you really think so?”

“Look, I know something about a tag team between a murder hobo and a ray of sunshine. It goes pretty well.” He looked down at Sami. “It’s kind of a good thing, if you can keep it going.”

Asuka nodded. “Still a team?” she asked, looking between them.

“Something like that,” Dean said, not making eye contact. “More of a stable at this point.”

“You spent a lot of time out there in the rumble together,” Bayley said. “Just kind of taking turns pounding each other into the ringposts. Grappling. Lots of grappling.”

“Yep, definitely grappling, not any hugging at all,” Sami said quickly.

“Bayley, I grapple you. Tonight.” Asuka wiggled her eyebrows.

Everyone coughed. Sami’s coughs turned into laughs, which put Bayley at ease. Dean still looked unsure. He ran a hand up over Sami’s calf, stopping at his knee, realizing what he was doing.

“See, Dean, I told you it was fine. Lots of people grapple each other around here. It’s *fine*. The whole stable could grapple, probably.”

Dean looked up and over at Bayley and Asuka. Asuka smiled, but that was not actually a very comforting expression on her. Bayley’s smile was more reassuring.

“I’m not used to hiding in plain sight,” Dean said. “That’s not hiding.”

“Well, you could have a feud with him,” Bayley said. “That works really well. You get to see a lot of each other, and the eye contact is very convincing.”

“The fight is good,” Asuka said. “The practice is better.”

Bayley elbowed her and Asuka laughed.

Dean relaxed a fraction. His hands were easier on Sami now.

“Asuka, you should enter the Rumble next year,” Sami said.

“Asuka will kick everyone strong style,” Asuka said. “Someday.” She twined her fingers with Bayley’s, pulling her hand up and kissing it. Bayley sighed pretty fondly for a recipient of many of those kicks.

Sami sat up, then, getting out of Asuka’s lap and sitting up next to Dean, their bodies now leaning together.

“Did they forget we were in here?” Sami asked. He chuckled. “That’s never happened to me before.”

“Zayn,” Dean said at the same time Bayley started to admonish: “Sami, we never!”

“Just feels like that sometimes,” Sami said.

“Let’s start a new stable,” Bayley said. “You can be citizens of the Hug Empire.”

Asuka nodded, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s a damn shame that Roman’s never actually come out in a fucking toga,” Dean said. “Because he’s kind of squatting on the whole Roman Empire deal.”

Asuka shrugged. “More than one empire, Deano.”

Bayley and Sami’s eyes went wide. Dean smiled like he had been slapped in the face and secretly liked it.

“Point,” he said.

“When are you guys getting out of here?” Bayley asked.

Sami sighed. “We’re staying the night. I’ve got Raw tomorrow so I’m sticking around. Dean, where are you going?”

Dean shook his head, looking suddenly tired. “I don’t know. I have the tickets printed out. I follow the blue buses. Can’t go wrong following the buses.”

“Roster dance,” Asuka said.

“We’re only ever in the same place four times a year,” Bayley said. “It sucks. I just...I’m so happy to be doing what I’m doing but. My people are in the wrong place. My person,” she said, glancing at Asuka.

“I hear you there, chief,” Dean said, widening his eyes.

“The Hug Empire will span brands, shows, rosters,” Bayley said imperiously. She sat up straight and tossed her head, making her ponytail bob. “We will encompass all.”

“Well then sign us the fuck up,” Dean said, slapping Sami on the back.

“Uh, you could probably count Finn in too.”

“I figured,” Bayley said. “You’re, like, the worst kept secret in wrestling. Sorry.”

Sami stifled a giggle. Dean was the one throwing elbows this time.

“We should probably get going,” Bayley said.

“Grappling is thirsty work,” Dean said, standing up.

“That’s why I got a Pepsi, Dean, you—”

“Sami. I mean beer. I am going to drink TWO BEERS, and then we can. You know.”

Dean accidentally caught Asuka’s eyes at that, and they both broke into giggles.

“See you around, cowboy,” Asuka said to Dean. She mocked tipping a hat at him, then got up, pulling Bayley to her feet as well.

There would be feasting and drinking and dancing and grappling across the Hug Empire that night. The empress slept well, sated, her lover asleep on her chest. But at the end of it, every citizen of the empire went to bed dreaming of gold.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The working title of this was just POTATO.
> 
> Asuka is tricky to write! I hope I have captured her without caricaturing her.


End file.
